Seminar: Better Together: Growing Diversity and Inclusivity in Software Engineering Communities

Link to the Seminar Recording: Click Here

Speaker

Ruchi Shewaramani, Chief Information Security Officer at Washington Health Benefit Exchange

Jenny Stuart, Vice President of Consulting at Construx Software

Beatriz Diaz Acosta, Faculty at Seattle University

Abstract 

Three speakers with software engineering backgrounds (Ruchi Shewaramani from Washington Health Benefit Exchange, Jenny Stuart from Construx Software, and Beatriz Diaz Acosta from Seattle University) will come together for a panel talk and discussion on the growing diversity and inclusivity in software engineering communities. The talk will highlight each speaker's professional experience and expertise, and the discussion will focus on professional challenges, important skills, and opportunities that come with a computer science degree.

Biography

Ruchi Shewaramani is a cyber security executive with 15+ years of experience in Information Technology Security, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) across Healthcare, Education and Financial institutions. She holds a Masters in Software Engineering from Seattle U. In the last decade, she has managed the security program for various Health and Human Services Agencies in the District of Columbia (DC) and Washington state and successfully cleared numerous federal audits. She specializes in leading HealthCare agencies to secure their data, be compliant with state/federal partners and provide digital trust to the citizens they serve. She is currently serving as the Chief Information Security Officer for WA Health Benefit Exchange and as a Board member for ISACA Greater Washington DC Chapter.

Jenny Stuart oversees Construx’s consulting services, focusing on proven software development best practices. She has 20 years’ experience in process improvement, software testing, and quality assurance techniques. Her expertise in incorporating software development best practices has helped numerous companies dramatically improve their software development and quality assurance processes. Jenny is an expert in quality practices, such as developing quality and test plans. She is the author of numerous Construx client studies and Construx white papers. Jenny has a BSEE from the University of Washington. She is a member of the Computer Society of the IEEE. In 2000, she earned the highest score in the United States on QAI’s Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE). She also has CSDP certification and is a Professional Scrum Master (PSM).

Beatriz Diaz Acosta is a 17-year tech industry veteran. She has held software engineering, product management and engineering manager roles in Microsoft, Amazon and Meta (aka Facebook). Mostly interested in machine learning and its applications, Beatriz worked on web search, robotics, augmented reality, speech, language and video understanding, among others. Beatriz is currently a Computer Science Instructor at Seattle University. 

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